Monthly Briefing / July – 2022

The Political Scene

The efforts of the UN envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg to hold direct meetings to end the conflict in Yemen, in implementation of the “American-Saudi” vision of appeasing the Houthi group in order to consolidate the armistice and implement the rest of its provisions, have diminished. Meanwhile, the Presidential Council’s efforts were limited to searching for security enhancements and economic support, which would enhance its influence in the insecure capital, in addition to ending the disparity between the council’s leadership.

– The Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi, returned to the provisional capital of Aden, coming from the Saudi city of Jeddah, after holding consultations on the sidelines of the Jeddah Development Summit, which included the leaders of the Arab Gulf states, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, and US President Joe Biden, without meeting the US President. (18/7)

– The European Union and the United States of America welcomed the approval of the truce [the cessation of military operations between the coalition/legitimate government and the Houthi group, in addition to other conditions], stressing the need to accept the proposals of the UN envoy to reopen the roads of Taiz (besieged for 7 years) as part of the articles of the armistice’s implementation. (7/7)

– The ambassadors of the European Union and the Swedish envoy to Yemen urged the Houthi group to deal constructively and positively with the proposals of the UN envoy regarding the reopening of the roads to the city of Taiz and the strengthening of the humanitarian truce. (4/7)

– The government delegation negotiating the opening of Taiz roads accused the UN envoy of abandoning his previous proposal, and of yielding to Houthi group’s vision [Houthi vision: opening secondary roads and keeping the main official roads closed], without disclosing the justifications behind the accusation. (6/7)

– The Yemeni government welcomed the removal of the “army” from the blacklist (parties involved in grave violations against children), which were mentioned in the 2021 Report of the United Nations Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict around the World. (12/7)

– France strongly condemned the attack by the Houthi group on a residential neighborhood in Taiz Governorate, which resulted in the death and injury of 12 children. [the only international position regarding the incident] (26/7)

– The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, and the UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, condemned the attack on a residential neighborhood in Taiz (southwest of Yemen), which resulted in the death of a child and the injury of 11 others. (25/7)

– The International Crisis Group called on the world’s governments and international institutions to donate – urgently – to help avoid the explosion of the “Safer” oil tanker and the leakage of about two million barrels of crude oil in the waters of the Red Sea, which would cause a massive environmental disaster. (5/7)

– Twenty international human rights and humanitarian organizations called on the governments of the countries of the world to provide immediate support for the UN plan to neutralize the danger of the Safer reservoir, which could explode at any time, threatening a major environmental and humanitarian disaster. (18/7)

The Military Scene

A new breakthrough for the legitimacy for the Yemeni Defense Minister, Mohammed al-Maqdishi, by visiting three governorates for the first time since his appointment 4 years ago, while violations of the truce during the month of July reached the level of direct confrontations, resulting in deaths and injuries on both sides, with the continued military build-up at the entrances to the cities Taiz and Marib, as the Houthi group is leading a military campaign in the village of Khabza in Al-Bayda despite the armistice.

– The National Army announced the killing of 8 soldiers and wounding of 9 others, with new violations of the armistice by the Houthi group (188 violations on several fronts, distributed over: 49 around Hays (south of Hodeidah), 46 in the west of Hajjah governorate (west of Yemen), and 31 around Taiz (southern Yemen), and 26 in the south, west and northwest of Marib (16/7)

– The commander of the “Ghorab” front, officer “Mohammed Abdul-Malik Al-Fahidi”, was killed, and 4 other soldiers were wounded while they were responding to a massive attack launched by the Houthi group on their positions, west of the city of Taiz (southwest of Yemen). (20/7)

– Large reinforcements [soldiers – military vehicles – heavy equipment] of the Houthi group arrived on the outskirts of the city of Taiz (southwest of Yemen), and were stationed in the areas of Al-Rubaie and Hazran (west of the city), on the Khamseen and Sitteen streets, while the rest of the reinforcements were stationed in the airport camp, in Al-Hawban area (east of the city). (2/7)

– A ballistic missile fell in the Al-Qurayshiah area, Al-Bayda Governorate (central Yemen), shortly after it was launched towards Marib by the Houthi group from inside the Al-Qusayr camp, next to Mount Ahram in the Radaa district. (2/7)

– The number of civilian casualties as a result of the siege and bombardment of the Houthi group with heavy weapons, on the “Khubzah” area of ​​the “Al-Qurayshiah” district in Al-Bayda Governorate, has risen to 13, including women and children. (21/7)

– The mediation of a tribe, led by Sheikh Ahmed Seif al-Dhahab, was able to enter the village of “Khubzah”, in the Al-Bayda Governorate, and stop the siege and continuous bombardment of the area for more than 10 days, by the Houthi militia. (22/7)

The Security Scene

Shabwa Governorate (east of the country) has moved from relative calm and stability to chaos and security imbalance, after the new changes in the head of the local authority. In Hadramout, the security services recorded a qualitative operation in the arrest of one of the most prominent figures in the “Al-Qaeda” organization. Meanwhile, the areas under the control of the Houthi group witnessed security disruptions, especially Ibb governorate in the center of the country.

– Joint units [200 military vehicles – crews – mechanisms] from the “Arab coalition” [Saudi Arabia – the Emirates], arrived at the presidential palace “Ma’ashiq”, in the “Crater” district, south of Aden (the provisional capital). Another part of the reinforcements were stationed in the “al-‘Alam” area at the entrance to the city to secure the movements of the President and members of the Presidential Council. (5/7)

– The Yemeni government accused the Houthi group of direct coordination with the “Al-Qaeda” organization in carrying out “terrorist” acts, a day after the attempted assassination of Major General “Saleh al-Sayed”, Director of Security for Lahj governorate, with a car bomb in the city of Aden. (30/6)

– The United Kingdom announced the confiscation of a shipment of high-grade Iranian weapons [surface/air missiles, cruise missile engines for land attack], which was on its way to the Houthi group in Yemen, more than 5 months after it had been seized in international waters (southern Iran). (7/7)

– The security services in Wadi Hadramout (eastern Yemen), as part of a qualitative operation, were able to arrest the prominent leader of the “Al-Qaeda” organization, Fahmi Bamsfer bin Abdulaziz Al-Kathiri, after clashing with him and wounding him. (12/7)

– Two people were killed, and two others wounded, as a result of clashes between the guard of the Special Security Forces Commander in Shabwa Governorate, Brigadier General Abd Rabbo Lakab, and members of the Shabwa Defense Forces [affiliated with the UAE-backed Transitional Council], while two wounded people are still receiving treatment in the hospital, after an ambush set against the brigadier general Lakab, who survived the assassination attempt. (20/7)

– 3 gunmen were killed, and two others injured, by internal conflicts among the Houthi group [one of whom is a leader in the Preventive Security Service], in the “Al-Nahwi” area in the Al-Sayani district, south of Ibb governorate. (25/7)

The Economic Scene

The economic situation is getting more complicated with the continued collapse of the national currency, the ongoing fears of an exacerbation of the Russian-Ukrainian war, its negative repercussions on the situation at home, and Yemen’s entry into a phase of starvation. The recent statements of the Central Bank of positive indications about negotiating the Saudi deposit represented a sign of hope to alleviate the humanitarian situation.

– The Central Bank of Yemen announced new developments and positive signals from Saudi Arabia regarding the date of signing the new deposit, announced more than a year and a half ago, which is imminent. (26/7)

– The World Bank announced its approval to provide a grant of $100 million to Yemen to support the emergency project to provide electricity to 3.5 million people by providing 700 public service facilities and 100 schools with new or improved electricity. (2/7)

– The Minister of Industry and Trade, Muhammad Al-Ashwal, confirmed that the strategic stock of basic commodities covers the country’s needs until the end of next August, and the sufficiency of the upcoming commodities to cover the coming period, due to the ongoing understanding with the Indian government regarding the continuing export of wheat to Yemen. (7/7)

– The Houthi group has approved new fuel prices (in the areas it controls by force of arms), the third since the start of the truce, on April 1, 2022 and the fifth since the beginning of this year, raising the price of a gallon of gasoline (20 liters) from 12,800 Yemeni riyals, to 14 thousand, and the price of a gallon of diesel from 15 thousand to 17,500 riyals, despite the flow of shipments of fuel ships through the port of Hodeidah according to the humanitarian armistice agreement. (1/3)

The Legal Scene

The targeting of 12 children in the governorate of Taiz being drew local and international condemnations, in a clear reflection of the fragile situation of the armistice, and the violations that children have been subjected to in Yemen during the years of war, in addition to international and local reports on violations, the most prominent of which were violations against journalism in Yemen during this year.

– A 10-year-old child was killed, and 11 other children (3-16 years old) were injured in shelling by the Houthi militia, from the Al-Hawban area on Al-Rawdah neighborhood, northeast of Taiz city, despite the UN armistice. (23/7)

– The Houthi group in the capital, Sanaa, raided the headquarters of Voice of Yemen Radio (local radio), looted its contents, and confiscated transmitters, a few days after judicial rulings were issued allowing the radio to rebroadcast to the public, increasing the number of radio stations that have been closed permanently and confiscated since 2014 to 6 local radio stations. (11/7)

– 4 people, including two doctors, were injured after the Houthi group targeted an ambulance by drone in the “Bab Ghaloq Sector” area in the Qataba district, north of Al-Dhalea Governorate (southern Yemen). (1/7)

– The Houthi group kidnapped Dr. “Fadl al-Yamani”, professor of economics at the University of Aden, while he was passing through one of the points surrounding the city of “Dhi al-Saffal”, south of Ibb governorate, returning from the capital of Sana’a on a medical trip with his parents. (13/7)

– The Houthi group blew up 3 civilian houses in Al-Asha district, Amran governorate, after a leader of its followers was killed in mysterious circumstances. (2/7)

– The citizen “Abdo Yousef Al-Raimi” was shot dead by a sniper from the Houthi group, in front of his house in Khatt Al-Arabain in the city of Taiz, while he was leading his sacrificial animal to participate with his family in the Eid holiday. (9/7)

– Two girls (in their twenties) were killed and another injured, when an explosive device, which was buried in the middle of an agricultural land, exploded in the Qadash area, northeast of Karsh, between the governorates of Lahj and Taiz. (10/7)

– The European Commission has documented the killing of 68 civilians who died in Yemen during the month of June alone, including 21 children, in the explosion of mines and shells from the remnants of war. (13/7)

– The United Nations Mission in Support of the “Hodeidah Agreement” (UNMHA) expressed its regret for the killing of 4 civilians, including 3 children, as a result of a mine explosion in Al-Hawk District, south of Al-Hodeidah Governorate (western Yemen) [which are areas planted with mines laid by the Houthi group in 2018]. (21/7)

– 7 civilians, including 5 children (the outcome of a day and a half), were killed and wounded in different governorates (Al-Jawf – Al-Hodeidah), as a result of the explosion of mines and projectiles from the remnants of the war that has spread in the country for eight years. (24/7)

The Humanitarian Scene

The number of displaced people in Yemen is doubling in the areas of the legitimate government, as a result of the war situation and the measures taken by Saudi Arabia towards Yemeni workers, which has contributed to the doubling of the number of domestic returnees, in addition to the continuous illegal immigration from the countries of the Horn of Africa towards Yemen.

– The United Nations Organization for Migration announced the displacement of 85 Yemeni families between (26 June – 2 July) because of security concerns and the economic situation related to the war. Meanwhile, since the beginning of this year (2022) and until July 2, 7,000 families, representing (42,000 individuals), have been displaced. (4/7)

– The city of Taiz witnessed massive demonstrations and vigils on the day of Eid to demand the breaking of the siege imposed on the city for more than seven years and the opening of the closed main roads. (9/7)

– The International Organization for Migration said that 3,174 African migrants arrived in Yemen during the month of June, while 5,895 thousand Yemeni expatriates returned from Saudi Arabia, bringing the number of arrivals to Yemen – since the beginning of the year until June 30 – to 31,266 foreign migrants, and 35, 285 Yemenis from Saudi Arabia. (7/7)

– The Republican General Teaching Hospital – in the Taiz governorate – announced that it was out of service, due to running out of fuel, the hospital’s inability to receive patients, and endangering of the lives of many patients with dialysis, intensive cardiac care, emergency care, children in incubation and other patients at risk of death. (8/7)

Statistics

– During the first half of this year (2022), the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate documented grave violations against the press and journalists in Yemen:

50 cases of violations against the media, journalists and photographers.

6 cases of suspension of community radio stations.

5 cases of torture.

2 murders.

2 cases of confiscation of property.

2 cases of cutting the salaries of workers in the media.

The responsible parties for the violations:

46% by the legitimate government, with all the formations loyal to it [the National Army, Tariq’s forces, the Security Belt of the Transitional Council, the Giants’ forces].

32% by the Houthi group.

22% by unknown parties.

– The United Nations said that it had verified 2,748 grave violations against 800 children, including 148 girls, during the year 2021, and the use of 172 children in tasks beyond their ability (ages 9-17), by the Houthi group.

201 murder cases.

480 cases of mutilation (681 children, including 135 girls, were subjected during the past year), and most of the cases of injuries and mutilations occurred in the governorates: (137 Taiz, 132 Marib, 107 Al Hudaydah).

It was verified that 34 attacks on 18 schools and 16 hospitals were carried out by:

15 cases by the Houthi group.

7 cases by security belt forces.

6 cases by government forces.

5 cases by the Arab alliance.

It was verified  that 49 schools and 4 hospitals are being used for military purposes:

46 Houthi group cases.

7 cases of security belt forces.

7 cases of government forces.

The United Nations verified that 35 children had been abducted:

11 cases at the hands of the Houthi group.

3 cases of kidnapping in previous years, 2 of them for the Houthis.

The United Nations verified a total of 1,813 incidents of denial of humanitarian access:

1,448 Houthi incidents.

331 Government forces incidents. (12/7)

– The Houthi group has buried 465 bodies, since the start of the truce [documentation for a period of 105 days], including:

141 killed in April,

148 killed in May,

126 killed in June,

More than 50 people were killed in the first half of July.

During the first half of this year, 2,552 bodies were buried, most of them fell on the Marib fronts.

The total number of Houthi fighters killed during the first three months of the truce [April/May/June] reached 415, their bodies distributed among the governorates as follows:

238 Sana’a,

49 Dhamar,

29 Hajjah

19 Saada,

18 Imran,

16 Ibb,

16 Hodeidah,

9 Al Mahwit,

9 Taiz,

8 Raima,

3 Al-Bayda,

1 Dhale.

Of the 415 killed, 282 officers (more than half), held ranks [some of them nominal]:

2 with the rank of major general,

8 with the rank of brigadier general,

15 colonels,

29 presenters,

55 captains,

47 majors,

50 second lieutenants,

57 first lieutenants,

18 at the rank of assistant. (15/7)

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